Styling a Holiday-Ready Bar Cart

It wasn't until our little guy's CONSTANT offer to help us with Christmas decorating turned into an ultimatum ("are we putting up our tree today?"), that I finally dug out our Christmas decorations.  Am I ever glad that the Mr. had the foresight to separate the Christmas decor from the rest of the decor boxes.  It didn't make the discovery process any less overwhelming though.  Just to name a few greeneries - I forgot I had 4 pre-lit garlands, 1 tall Christmas tree, a short one, 2 pre-lit outdoor trees, and 3 wreaths... not sure if I missed anything else.  Did the little man actually help?  Yes, sort of.  Did we put up every one of these greenery?  Uh...  how about you take a look for yourself here...

The Christmas tree?  Done!  The staircase?  Check.  Coffee table?  Still reinventing.  Entryway table.  Finalized.  

Oh, that was a lot of work.  I need a drink...  now!

Lucky for me that our bar cart is holiday ready!  Here are a few quick tips to get yours looking pretty and functional to impress your guests!

1. The Obvious

Liquors / Glassware / Barware

Have a few bottles of your favourite drinks on hand.  For the holidays, champagne is always a good idea!  Sparkling wine, red wine, and champagne are constant staples at our house.  We keep the tall bottles on the bottom tier of the bar cart so that little man's freely swinging crazy arms won't knock down any. 

It makes sense to put out on the bar cart the glassware for what you usually consume.  For safety reasons (see above), we put our stemware in our kitchen cabinet.  The top of our bar cart now has a pretty display of our rocks glasses and handy bar accessories.

2. The Decor

Greenery

A touch of green livens up any decorated space, even one as tiny as the bar cart.  Here, just a sprig of holly leaves and berries in the corner makes the bar cart all the more welcoming.

GREENERY FROM BOWRING (SIMILAR ARRANGEMENT AT TARGET)

Artwork

On the wall or on the bar cart, the artwork completes the look of the cart by giving it height and a touch of sophistication.  On ours, I used a mixology recipe book with a pretty cover that does double duty, perched onto an acrylic easel.

THE ART OF MIXOLOGY (AFFILIATED LINK); ACRYLIC EASEL FROM CB2

Tray

Having a tray on any surface helps to corral items and contain mess.  Here, I DIY'ed a tray for glassware using duct tape, inspired by Megan's shoe box tray.  The copper foil tape helps hide my DIY mess and nicely mimics the gold rim on the highball glasses.

SCOTCH DUCT TAPE IN PRETTY SNAKE (AFFILIATED LINK); FOIL TAPE FROM MICHAELS

Seasonal Decor

Dress up the bar cart with some small scale seasonal decor so that it's ready for any party thrown its way!  I had limited space on ours, so a small bowl of mini candy canes and a whimsical display of ornaments in a lighted cloche are plenty enough.  

Feeling Adventurous

Yes, I know, less is more when it comes to decor.  But for some, decor and alcohol draws a fine line.  Who can resist these cute mini bottles of liquors, or a dazzling bottle stopper on Jonathan Adler's Animalia coasters?  I may just add some playful cocktail napkins and fun straws to the mix!

JONATHAN ADLER ANIMALIA COASTERS; BOTTLE STOPPER FROM HOMESENSE (WHAT I REALLY LOVE)

Prepping a bar cart for the holidays is no different than decorating any space in your home.  Starting with the basics in #1, and then adding in layers of #2 takes minimal effort but will surely leave your guests impressed.  Just make sure you restock the empty bottles while you're at it!

Playroom Painted in a Shade of Gray

On nights when The Mr. "indulges" himself with his pet DIY project, our walk-in closet/ dressing room, little man would busy himself with his own Lego design and build projects or other master art pieces.  These are quiet nights for me when they're on their own; no floor hockey/ goalie plays and no gunning battles in the basement family room.  But I can't help but notice little man lacks a space to play and make art.

Little man has never had his own work space.  The dining room table has been his creative space since he first picked up a crayon eons ago.  Now that we've moved into our new house though, we don't want his masterpieces to take over the dining table.  

That's when I finally dug out my plan for his playroom, as posted here.

The playroom is a spare third bedroom upstairs, and not a big room at all.  To save some space, we got him a desk instead of that IKEA round table.

I still love the style of this Target Campaign desk from when I wrote about the perfect desk for him, and this one is bang for the buck since I got it on sale!  The drawers will be perfect for all the papers and other miscellaneous items.

Target Threshold Campaign Desk

As another spin to my original design board, I found the cutest and fun rug for the playroom!  The Union Jack rug from Ecarpet Gallery totally fits my budget and the fun factor of the playroom.  

Union Jack rug by Ecarpet Gallery

The colours are mixed and woven in a way to give the rug a vintage vibe.

That's a lot of red in the room with the desk, but I don't mind it being more playful.  Who knows?  The red may help spark more creativity in the little man =)

In anticipation of taking delivery of the desk, we painted the playroom a light gray last weekend.  I loved the soft gray in this room by Amanda Moore of Hunter Baby.

via

I have been on the hunt for the perfect gray ever since seeing it used in this room.  Not going to inject another "50 shades of gray" joke here, but that number is an understatement!  If you've been sourcing grays, you would know all about the tinted grays!  I just wanted a gray that's, well, gray.  So I decided to try out the ever popular Benjamin Moore Gray Owl, and the just as amazing trick, at 50% tint.

Here is little man's playroom after painted in Gray Owl.  This shade of gray suits the playroom decor perfectly.  With just a tiny bit of tan, it picks up the vintagy vibe of the desk (to be delivered) and rug just right.  

The playroom doesn't really need black-out curtains or too much privacy.  We chose to outfit the large window with simple sheers from IKEA on a track system by Allen + Roth.  

Allen + Roth curtain Rod

As you can see in the photo above, little man has gradually moved into his new playroom, no invitation required :-)  Funny how he lugged his beloved Lego in the playroom first, and I take it he's loving the space already!  I can't wait to put the playroom together for him!

Next up for the playroom:

• Toy storage unit
• Gallery wall - these frames with plastic front from IKEA are safe for a kid's space
• Masterpiece display
• Lounging spot
• Light fixture

5 Instagrammers' Clean and Uncluttered Looks I Can't Get Enough Of

While we wait on the new kitchen countertop installation, draperies to be installed, and some furniture to be delivered, the Mr. has started on his beloved project of the dressing room.  It'll take him some time to finish, as this won't be another IKEA PAX hack...  he's building from scratch:

... and while he was at it, he also started building some pull-out drawers for the kitchen's lower cabinets.  Testing a completed one here:

Meanwhile, I can't wait to start decorating after all these installations are in place!  We talked about how I've found new love of clean and uncluttered decor, influenced by the KonMari method, in my previous Small Space post.  Today, I want to share the 5 interior designers' Instagram accounts, whose feeds I pour over for their timeless minimalist looks.

Em Henderson

She's currently Target's Home spokesperon, and her style resonates with the brand - comfortably lived-in and unpretentious. I would say her signature look is mid-century with a modern/ Scandinavian vibe.  She styles a beautiful vignette with a few statement pieces and makes it seem effortless.

Studio Mcgee

They're a fast growing interior design firm that specializes in mixing a few eclectic statement pieces to enhance a room's bright and contemporary style.

Erica Cook

She just exudes style, from head to toe.  Just like her impeccable fashion sense, her home is styled elegantly.  I love her black and white decor with accents of warm metals.

Sally Wheat

You might've come across her work numerous times on Pinterest.  Her play of patterns and textures makes her rooms decorated but uncluttered.

Sophie Paterson

Her thoughtful mix of greys and taupes creates spaces that are serene and inviting.  She keeps her accessories simple and let the layers of textures and statement furniture pieces in the room speak for themselves.

With the help of these pros, I've come up with some key elements that they use to seemingly decorate effortlessly.  

How to achieve a clean and uncluttered look

1. Use neutral colours for walls or major furniture pieces - play on colours with accessories in vignettes, throw pillows, and other textiles.
2. Keep accessories simple, with one or two statement pieces per surface -  leaving some empty space between objects make it easier on the eyes to enjoy the uniqueness of each piece.  
3. Create subtle contrast - in textures, colours, and patterns to create interest and balance in the space.

When I can finally unpack and purge through the rest of our boxed up decor after all these installations, I'll be sure to keep these common themes in mind as I decorate our new spaces.  Looking forward to see our new house decorated in this clean new look!

Do share other home decor instagrammers that you love!